This is what Carsten REALLY thinks about Halloween...

My Little Halloween Monkey

25 Things About Me... By Carsten Ramelow

1. I love to open and close doors and drawers... Constantly... over and over... They fascinate me!
2. I usually poop 2 or 3 times a day. My bowels are extraordinarily efficient. Sometimes I make patties, but usually they are the consistency of peanut butter. Yummy!
3. I am constantly learning new things. Just over the last couple of days, I have learned how to point and to wave (however, I only wave when I am looking in the mirror).
4. I am very particular about everything. Da-da says I get this from Ma-ma. I must be fed in a certain position for maximum effectiveness and my room must be pitch black and my air cleaner must be running on high in order for me to sleep to my full potential.
5. I am a cat lover. They always make me laugh. I enjoy chasing Kiki and Gypsy, but am not fast enough to catch them. I like to play with their paws and tails.
6. I like it when Ma-ma pretends that she is going to drop me. It cracks me up!
7. I like it when Da-da "chews" on the back of my neck. It gets me going every time!
8. I hate having my diapers changed. I squirm and cry and make it as difficult as possible on my parents and myself. Maybe if I keep it up, they will eventually get tired of it and let me wear the same diaper forever!
9. I sleep with my blue doggy every night. Sometimes when I get scared in the middle of the night, Ma-ma will come in and put my blue doggy back in my arms and I drift right back off to sleep. He is so cuddly!
10. I don't like being fed big boy food. I am a big fan of my ba-ba and don't see any need in eating anything else. Don't you people get it - I am still a baby!
11. I will not hold my own bottle or cup or feed myself, even though I can. This is Ma-ma's job.
12. When I get a case of the giggles, I almost always get the hiccups.
13. I hate the hiccups. They make me angry.
14. When Ma-ma and I take a bath, I love to play with the water rushing out of the spout. I like to wave my hand back and forth through the stream of water and splash it everywhere! It gets in my eyes, which hurts, but I still keep doing it because it is so funny! What a hoot!
15. I am learning to walk and if I do say so myself, I am getting really good at it. I still have to hold onto Ma-ma's hand, but only for balance. Da-da says I walk like a drunk. I don't know what that means.
16. I really like watching my Baby Einstein movies. They are so captivating. They can keep me occupied for long periods of time so that Ma-ma can get some peace.
17. I have a really strong gag reflex, especially when Ma-ma gives me peas or anything green for that matter. Gag me!
18. I love looking at the ground and nodding my head back and forth. I do it all the time. Maybe I should stop, though. I think Ma-ma and Da-da are getting a little concerned about this recreational activity of mine.
19. I can crawl really fast. Fred Flinstone has nothing on me!
20. I am a BIG grouch when I am teething. I don't want to eat, be held, play, or sleep. All I want to do is cry. Ma-ma gets really grouchy when I am teething, too.
21. This weekend, my Aunt Meme taught me how to say "Dog". I am pretty smart if I do say so myself.
22. I am very brave when I get shots. I hardly cry... sometimes I don't cry at all. Da-da told me that crying is for girls.
23. I love older women. I don't have much interest in ladies my own age. Most of them are pretty boring. I like a girl on the move and with lots of life experience. She can show me the ways of the world.
24. When I do decide to eat my big boy food and finish all of it, my Ma-ma does the "Shakey-Shakey Dance" for me. She sings "Shakey, Shakey, Shakey" over and over and shakes her booty. I am not laughing with her, I am laughing at her. I agree with Da-da... she looks ridiculous.
25. I love it when my Ma-ma sings and plays with me. The "Itsy Bitsy Spider" is all the rave. I also really like it when she sings "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" over and over and over... It really starts to make me sleepy around the 100th time around. Playing "Patty Cake" and "Little Piggies" are some of my favorite past times... that is when I am not opening and closing doors over and over and over... :-)
    

My name is Cara and I suffer from Restless Leg Syndrome

I am a sufferer of Restless Leg Syndrome, RLS for short. Yes, this is a real condition. Despite my husband's mockery of this illness, it is a real problem for me. Restless Leg Syndrome rears it's ugly head at night. Particulary, for me, right when I lay down to sleep. All of the sudden my legs, especially my left leg, becomes very restless, hence the name. I have to stretch them over Danyel, kick them repeatedly in the air, and I need lots of room to stretch out. It takes a good 15 - 30 minutes to settle them down. Yes, I know this sounds bazaar. But, I did some research and found out that there is a name for this condition and it is caused by an iron or calcium deficiency. Despite my obvious suffering every evening, my husband laughs & ridicules me. Each night, he cracks jokes at my expense and tells me that I am a freak. He does not understand my pain. He doesn't know what it is like to be so sleepy and for your legs to feel like they want to run a mile. RLS sufferers deserve compassion and respect. We are not freaks. We are people too.

Sunday at the Obenhaus House

Farmer Carsten

101 Things About Me...

Alright Bird - This one's for you.

1. I am 28 years old... I think... yea, that's right.
2. I love my husband with my heart, body, & soul.
3. My love for my son comes from a place deep down in my heart that only he could surface.
4. I think my Mom is one of the most pleasant and beautiful people that I know.
   
5. My Dad is the most sentimental person that I know.
6. I love and appreciate my parents more than I think they will ever know.
7. I have one brother who I love dearly.
8. I am a cat person.
9. I used to be a dog person, but now I find them obnoxious and clingy.
10. I over analyze EVERYTHING.
11. I feel like I have been blessed with so many things, I am just waiting for the "bad" to start rolling in.
12. I feel guilty about EVERYTHING. This is the Catholic in me.
13. I feel guilty that I do not go to mass often enough.
14. When Danyel and I fight in front of Carsten, I feel like the WORST mother in the world.
15. I am deathly afraid of snakes.
16. When my mom was pregnant with me, she had a recurring dream that snakes were swarming me. At stressful times in my life, I have this same recurring dream.
    
17. I hate roaches. They are so very nasty.
18. Giving birth to my son was more painful than I could have ever imagined. I SWORE after delivering him that I would NEVER have another baby.
19. We plan to start trying to have another baby late next summer.
20. I love to travel, especially out of the country.
21. I think it is fascinating to see how different people in the world are.
22. My favorite vacation was to Lake Como, Italy with my husband. It was the most romantic place in the world.
23. I have a very large extended family that I wish I was closer to.
24. I LOVE being a home maker.
25. I hated my job at Foleys. I felt like I had no purpose.
    
26. I feel like being a mom has given me purpose.
27. I wish I was a more calm and natural mother. I tend to feel overwhelmed and stressed out in situations that I think other moms are more relaxed about.
28. I am always afraid that Carsten is not developing at the same rate as his peers.
29. My doctor has told me that Carsten is advanced for his age.
30. When I was single, I was afraid that I would never get married.
31. When I saw Danyel on the elevator for the first time at work, I told a friend that I had seen the man I was going to marry.
32. Three years later, we were married.
33. I cried through my entire wedding.
34. I am a perfectionist.
35. I wish I was more efficient.
36. I have always been very self conscious about my acne problem.
37. Before I got pregnant, I always wanted to be thinner.
38. After having Carsten, I am just glad to be thin enough.
39. I feel guilty for not breastfeeding longer than I did.
40. I love to cook.
41. My husband says I rarely cook anything less than a "7" on a scale of 1 - 10.
42. When I cook something, I get upset if my husband does not tell me at least twice how good it is.
43. I wish that my house was cleaner.
44. I do not iron my husband's clothes for him.
45. If Danyel goes out of town, I will not stay at home by myself... ever.
46. I believe that most stereotypes are true.
47. I am always thirsty.
48. My cat sleeps on my pillow.
49. I sleep with a towel on my pillow for no reason at all.
50. I sleep on my stomach.
    
51. Since having Carsten, my boobs are droopy and smaller, my hips are wider, and my face is constantly broken out.
52. One of my biggest fears is people not liking me.
53. I wish that I had more friends.
54. I have the best friends in the entire world.
55. I am NOT a morning person.
56. I am always tired.
57. I hate unloading the dishwasher.
58. I never exercise for the sake of exercising.
59. I am always the whitest person on the beach.
60. I am a control freak.
61. I tend to nag my husband too much.
62. I can act like a spoiled brat.
63. Sometimes I talk too much and don't listen enough.
64. I genuinely feel like I hit the jackpot when I met my husband. He is a "10" on a scale of 1-10.
65. I am obsessed with my "budget" spreadsheet. I don't actually follow it.
66. I love bathing with my son.
    
67. I can't stand when you buy someone a gift and they don't send a thank you note.
68. I don't like ice in my water.
69. I HATE George Bush. It is fascinating to me that some people like him.
70. For the most part, I am a democrat.
    
71. I think Bill Clinton was one of the greatest presidents of all time.
72. I do not believe in affirmative action. I think that all people, regardless of race, sex, or class should have to earn their way. Yes, I know that this is a republican view.
    
73. I am always cold.
74. I only wash my hair three times a week.
75. I get painful ingrown toenails on my big toes.
76. I think my husband is exceptionally smart.
77. I am very loyal.
78. One of my most favorite things is when Carsten rests his head on my shoulder.
79. I am obsessive about keeping a to do list.
80. I am a procrastinator.
81. I am a non attentive driver. I have totaled 2 cars.
82. Sometimes I have a problem saying what I want to say how I want to say it.
    
83. I am very opinionated.
84. I think it is important to have a stance on everything.
85. I used to smoke when I was younger, but now I think it is the most disgusting habit in the world. I got furious when people would smoke around me when I was pregnant.
86. I was an overachiever in school.
87. I love the smell of fresh garlic sauteeing in olive oil.
88. I will eat just about anything, aside from bi-products of any animal.
89. I am obsessed about giving people the "perfect" gift.
90. I think I always look bad in pictures.
91. I hate to read books.
92. I love to read parenting magazines and Hollywood gossip magazines.
93. I have subscriptions to 4 different parenting magazines.
94. Sometimes I worry too much about what needs to be done and forget to enjoy life.
95. I love Christmas.
96. I am a home body.
97. I am deathly afraid that the end of the world is near.
98. I love sitting on my patio and drinking a good glass of wine with my husband after Carsten goes to bed.
99. I hate feeling left out of things (which was the underlying motivation to make this list - everybody else was doing it).
    
100. I love giving people advice and helping them with their problems, but worry that I sound like a know it all.
     
101. This list has drained me, yet it was very therapeutic!
     

Carsten's chillin' at the crib... Big Pimpin'

I had to open my big fat mouth...

A few posts ago, I bragged how Carsten started sleeping late again and was starting to get back on his solid food diet. I should have kept my mouth closed. Ever since that post, his progression back into his solid diet has stalled and he has woken us up at 6:30 every morning. Just when you think you have these creatures figured out, they punk you. Oh well, I know the drill. I've replinished my formula stock and the coffee is brewing.

Are Other New Moms This Paranoid?

I have never thought of myself as a hypochondriac until Carsten was born. Not in reference to my own health, but to his. I am constantly paranoid that something is wrong with him. Most recently, within the last couple of days, he has developed a bad case of Eczema (through my own diagnosis, of course). A few days before that, I found a little nodule of some sort on the back of his head under the skin. I am convinced that he has some sort of tumor. I am currently looking for a reason to take him to the doctor, so I can mention this as a "side" note. After all, I don't want to take him in solely for this reason or then the doctor will know that I am off my rocker. Let's see... what else. Within the last few weeks, I have diagnosed him with a tooth infection, ear infection, Fifth Disease, and yes, the worst of all, Autism. I blame my paranoia on the internet. Every bump on the head is a tumor, every ear pull is because of an ear infection, every child that has quirky habits has Autism. Babies are just such an enigma. It's a constant guessing game to figure out what's going on with them. This is not an ideal situation for a control freak and worry-wart like myself. I am working on it.

Ain't it pretty?!

This was my anniversary present from Danyel! It is an 18k while gold necklace with a garnet pendant. There is a little diamond right above the garnet solitaire. Garnet is Carsten's birthstone AND the traditional second anniversary gemstone. I have to give it to him... he did good! :-)

Since Becoming a Mom...

Since becoming a Mom, I finally understand a mother's love. For your whole life, you always know that your mother loves you, but you really never know how much until you have your own children. You all the sudden have all this insight into your own parent's actions during your childhood. You know that at the core of every parenting decision and action that they made was all because they loved you... more than you could ever know at the time.

Since becoming a Mom, I know that parent's make a lot of mistakes and they know it! They will never admit to them because that would be unparent like. As a mom, I am scared all the time about making mistakes with Carsten. And, in his short life, I have already made plenty! Your whole childhood, you were sure that your parents thought that they were always right and it bugged the crap out of you as a kid. But really, they were just doing the best that they could and fumbling through a lot of it scared that they were going to screw you up. The kind of adult that Carsten becomes, depends a lot on how Danyel and I raise him. That scares the hell out of me. This responsibility is something I never really thought much about when we decided to have kids, but it is something I think everyday about now.

Since becoming a Mom, I have more compassion. When I hear of a child being murdered, I know that there is a Mom out there that will never be healed from that pain. When I hear of a child becoming seriously ill or diabled, I can't even begin to understand where that child's mother draws her strength from. Not that I wasn't compassionate before to these events, but they just register with me on a much deeper level now.

Since becoming a Mom, I have a hard time putting into words how much in love with Carsten that I am. It's a love that you will never know or even begin to fathom until you become a parent. It's a love that is almost unhealthy. I would give my life in a second for him without even thinking about it. His needs always come before mine. That level of unselfishness is something I never knew I could attain. At least once a day, I share some type of interaction or moment with him that brings tears to my eyes. I feel like the luckiest lady on the planet to have been blessed with this PERFECT person.

Since becoming a Mom, I hope that Carsten never knows just how much I love him while growing up. This could be very dangerous. If our kids knew the extent of our love for them, they could really take advantage of us - especially in those devilish teenage years! But, I look forward to the day when he becomes a father and finally knows what it is like to love with his whole being.

Our First Post-Carsten Movie

Danyel and I celebrated our 2 year anniversary on Saturday. My mom was nice enough to watch Carsten most of the day, so that we could go to lunch and see a movie. We had a really nice time. We went to eat at Los Cucos (Yummy!) and to see North Country (very good!). We also snacked on Beignets before the movie (Double Yummy!). It's amazing just how much a few hours to ourselves can really make a difference for us. We tend to forget about each other when we are always tending to Carsten. So, it is nice to get away from being parents for just a short while and enjoy just each other. We even commented after we finished eating lunch that we hadn't even talked about Carsten. I felt a little guilty for a split second, but then relieved that we still have enough in common and enough other interests to talk about something other than the little buddy. Time alone is so important. We try to get it at least once a month, but sometimes we don't make it enough of a priority. For those few hours, we felt like childless newleyweds again! But, you better believe as soon as the movie was over, we rushed back to my mom's with excitement to pick up our pride and joy!

No More Astros Games For Me

So, as most Houstonions have over the last few weeks, I have caught the Astros fever! Well, I think that I am now cured. After the Astros lost their second game in a row last night in the World Series, I got a little irked. I have spent the last two nights of my life (approximately 6 hours or so) watching the games. And, then in the end, they lose both games, and I can never get that wasted time back. Do you know what I could accomplish in 6 hours? So, I have decided not to watch any more of the games. Don't get me wrong. I hope that they win it all, but the probability is pretty low and I can't afford to lose any more valuable time. Besides, I hate to see them shamed by the Sox. They make the Astros look like a little league team. So, you can call me a sore loser. But, I call myself a realist. You can call me a fare weather fan and to that I would admit. Nobody likes to cheer on a loosing team. Honestly, how many of you were "true" fans all season long putting in the time to watch games and keep up with it all? That's what I thought.

Carsten's Recent Accomplishments

Carsten has made big strides over the last few days in becoming a big boy! He is starting to be able to stand on his own for 5 or 6 seconds at times. Also, he has become very eager in learning to walk. He'll be standing up holding on to something and just let go and take off like he's just going to walk. He falls after the first step, but he's pretty determined. It won't be long! He's also started crawling "into" and "onto" things. He's pretty confident with the whole crawling thing. Another pretty big accomplishment is that he is SLOWLY moving out of his eating strike phase. For the last month or so, it's been almost impossible for me to get him to eat any of his three meals during the day. He's been going through formula like crazy and wasting lots of baby food. Not to mention, driving me batty! He's eating a lot of his old foods again and starting to transition to finger foods. He's not quite sure how to get things to his mouth, but if I feed him, he can successfully chew small chunks of food, like banana, cheerios, and shredded cheese or chicken (that's all we've tried so far). And most importantly, now that he has moved out of his teething phase, he's sleeping his usual 11 - 12 hours at night uninterrupted. We went through about a two month period of him waking up at 6 am everyday. Now, we're back to our 7:45 wake up call, which is much more bearable!

So, we've entered a "good" phase - or what I call a "Non-teething" phase. They don't last long though. We'll be lucky to get a couple of months off before the next little boogers start tormenting the ever so sensitive little buddy. :-)

Dispute with the Doctor...

Yesterday I took Carsten for his 9 month check up. The doctor wanted to give him a flu shot. The standard shot contains a perservative called Thimerosol. There has been some debate in recent years if this mercury based ingredient causes brain disorders in babies, most notably Autism. They offer a Thimerosol free flu shot, so I figured I would go with that just to be safe. They offer it, so why not? This is my child we are talking about here. I am not taking any chances, even if it is a small one. So, the doctor and I got into a debate of sorts over things that have been linked to Autism like Thimerosol and the MMR (given twice - at 12 months and 4 years). The doctor was very adamant that neither has been scientifically proven to be linked to Autism and if I really did some research I would be convinced. Well, I have done enough research to know what the "scientists" and drug companies have concluded, but not enough to cancel out some of the personal stories that you hear and read about on the internet. I found one website with countless stories about babies that were very advanced developmentally with no signs of Autism. Then, they were taken in for their MMR at 12 months and within days became different children. Shortly after, they were diagnosed with Autism. Maybe the parents missed the signs. Maybe they were just looking for something to blame rather than their own genetics. Maybe the risk is small, but I don't know if it is worth taking. Danyel and I have decided that we probably will wait until Carsten is 2 or 3 to get his first MMR vaccine. The doctor will be very against this when we take him in for his 1 year checkup. He may even ask us to leave his practice (this happens pretty often when parents refuse vaccinations). He will warn us of the risks of not vaccinating him. But in my opinion, the risk is small in comparison. There are only 200 reported cases of measles a year in the United States. Usually, Measles, Mumps, & Rubella are minor illnesses that do not lead to hospitalization or death. My husband had mumps as a child... my mother had measles as a child. Not too long ago, these were common childhood illness, just like Chicken Pox were for our generation. They now even vaccinate for Chicken Pox! Maybe we are too paranoid and worried for no reason, but if there is one thing in our lives to be extra cautious about - it is our child.

Here are some links to some websites that I found helpful:
American Academy of Pediatrics
Think Twice Global Vaccine Institute

It's Our Anniversary!

Today is Danyel and I's TWO year anniversary! We made it - and with a limited amount of scarring. :-) He truly is my better half and I really don't deserve him. I am the luckiest girl in the whole wide world. I love you Pookie!

The Ramelow Family... The Human Wrecking Balls

In Destin, we stayed in a condo right on the beach. It was a very cute, tastefully decorated place. Well, that is until we arrived. You see, we are the clutziest and most accident prone family on the face of this earth. I am sure of it. Let me give you a run down of the destruction:

Accident #1: Carsten pees on the futon couch.
I was changing him from his diaper into his swim diaper while he crawled around the couch. He started to pee and before I could grab him and throw him onto the tiled floor, he had already soaked the couch and then preceded to make a large puddle on the floor. I have NEVER seen this kid pee this much EVER. I cleaned the futon couch (after cleaning up Carsten and the floor) with Woolite and water, which then left a large water stain. Solution? Flip the futon over and hope that it is not discovered. I know, this is wrong.

Accident #2: Carsten pukes on the floor.
I was giving Carsten some small chunks of banana. He hasn't quite mastered the chewing thing. He gagged up the banana chunk and the 9 oz. bottle of formula I had given him beforehand... all over the tile and me. Danyel cleaned up the floor. I cleaned up Carsten and myself. After my shower, Danyel said that I still smelled like puke. Nothing a little pefume can't fix.

Accident #3: I spill wine on the wall.
Apparently I had forgotten I had a glass of wine - red wine - in my hand when I bent down to pick something up. This was only my first glass of wine - I promise. I spilled wine all over the wall and floor. I tried to clean the wall with soapy water, but the stain was there for good. Maybe they won't notice. Later on, I noticed a couple of drops on the chair ottoman next to where I had spilled the wine. Maybe they won't notice that either. Again, this is so wrong.

Accident #4: I drop pizza on the rug in the living room.
This I was able to clean pretty well. The rug had a lot of red in it, so the pizza sauce stain blended in nicely.

Accident #5: Carsten pushes over the end table.
The end table was wicker with a glass top. It no longer has a glass top. At least, the lamp didn't break when it hit the floor. Maybe they won't notice. Yes, this is very, very wrong.

Accident #6: Danyel clogs up the toliet and it overflows onto the bathroom floor.
Luckily, all of his waste, I should say, flushed - there was just some toliet paper left in the toliet when it spilled over. We dried the floor with all the dirty towels and Danyel went to the office and got a plunger to unclog the toliet. It took a lot of plunging, and the toliet was flushing moderately well before we left.

As I am writing this, I am feeling very ashamed. I didn't realize how bad it was until I wrote it all down. Wow. We plan to go back next year. We'll probably stay at the same resort and in the same condo. At least that way, we can keep all of our destruction in one localized place. :-)

Our First Family Beach Vacation

Here are some pics from our trip to Destin, Florida. This was Carsten's first time to the beach and I don't know what he liked better - the sand or the water! The beach was beautiful and the weather was perfect. We had a great time!

Living at the Mercy of The Baby Monitor

I am wondering if other mothers of babies live at the mercy of the baby monitor like I do...

Early this morning at 5 a.m. I heard Carsten cry out on the baby monitor followed by silence. I started to pray. Please God, it's 5 o'clock in the morning, I am exhausted, please let him go back to sleep. I listened to the silence for a short while and just about when I was convinced he was asleep, he cried out again. My heart sank and my hope was destroyed. This was not a false alarm. He was up. I gave him a bottle - in the dark - with hopes that it would put him back to sleep. It didn't, but I could tell he was still tired. He was being restless while I was rocking him, so I decided to put him back in his crib. This was my last hope. I went back to bed, all the while listening on the baby monitor. He never cried, but for 45 minutes he babbled. The whole time I stayed wide awake hoping and praying that the monitor would go silent. I even crossed my fingers for good luck. Every few minutes, he would get quiet for a short time and then the babbling would start again. Each time, my hopes diminished that I would meet the sleep fairy once more before dawn. Finally, the monitor fell silent for good at 6:15 a.m. Thank you God!

I hate that damn monitor.

8 Down... Only 12 More to Go!

Carsten got 3 new teeth today! I discovered the little buds while feeling around his gums tonight. He's been working on them for a couple of weeks now. Thank God they are here. It's been a rough few weeks! That makes 8 teeth total now! Watch out world - He's a Biter!

A Housewife that Cleans Her Own House?... You Got to be Kidding Me!

Today was a sad day. I had to let my maid go. We decided when Carsten was a newborn to hire a maid to come and clean the house every couple of weeks. Carsten was much younger then and required constant attention, as babies do. For a while now, since Carsten has gotten older, I have known that it was time to start doing the cleaning again, but I have delayed the inevitable. Mostly, because I have become spoiled to not having to do it myself, but also because I really feared having to "fire" someone. The maid came to clean today and I had planned to tell her when she was done and get back my house key. The whole time she was here my stomach was in knots and I was so upset. She is always so nice and friendly to both Carsten and I. I had even decided at one point not to tell her until next time, but I knew I was just being a chicken shit. Plus, Danyel would kill me. So, I did it. It wasn't too bad. And, she understood. Besides, I am tired of people giving me that screwy look when they find out that I am a Housewife that doesn't clean my own house. Well, those days of luxury are over. It's time to wake up and smell the Lysol. Maybe I should consider this working mom thing (and get my maid back!)...

The Carsten Showcase of the Week

Opening and Closing Doors -his favorite pastime (or obsession, if you will)

Look at those pretty blue eyes... Such a Heartbreaker!

Carsten Loves his Luvs! He's standing all by himself!
Chillin' in his Boppy watchin' Baby Einstein...
He's always so happy after a good nap!

I've Reached a New Level of Mommyhood

Yes, I did it. I made my own baby food. I have always made fun of mothers that insist on doing this when the ones in the jar are just as nutritional (for the most part) and, of course, more convenient. Mothers that make their own baby food are usually the ones that breastfeed until their kid is in Preschool and insist on "Natural" childbirth. I am not one of those mothers. I just thought it might be fun (it's amazing how the meaning of this word changes once you have children). Carsten won't eat much green veggies from the jar, so I am hoping he will eat them when they are fresh. Anyways, it was actually pretty easy to make and they taste MUCH better than Gerber, if I do say so myself. I made green peas, broccoli, and a couple of his faves - butternut squash and sweet potatoes. I feel like a full fledged Sally Homemaker now. :-)

The Bubbster is Out of Commission... (temporarily)

Carsten is sick with a cold. It's been a rough couple of days for everyone! Last night it was really bad. He was in and out of sleep all night. Poor baby was so congested and the snot was flowing like a river! He had a hard time breathing, so he kept waking himself up. I finally put a very firm pillow in his crib to elevate his head and that seemed to help a little. He was able to sleep for 2 hours at a time from that point on. We tried to give him some Children's Nyquil, but he kept gagging and spitting it up. Finally, I got him to take a bottle at 4:15 a.m., and I was able to put the medicine in his bottle. After that, he slept a whole 3 hours straight. Thank God. Today, he is moving pretty slowly, but it seems the congestion has broken up a little this afternoon. Hopefully, tonight will be a little easier on all of us. It's hard to know that your little Angel is in pain and that you can't do much for him but comfort him. All the while, he looks at you like "Mommy, please help me." It's heartbreaking!

What is Up With All the Mosquitos?!

My poor baby. I am a bad mom. I let the mosquitos suck his sweet little baby blood. I could have prevented this. They are everywhere. They are outside, they are in the car, they are in the house. They are out in the mornings, afternoons, and evenings. It's like some type of invasion.

Sometimes Fathers Do Know Best

I am always giving my husband a hard time for not "interacting" with our son enough. Sure, he spends time with him all the time, but sometimes (more than I would like) it is spent together while Danyel is on the computer or working in the garden and Carsten is playing nearby being "supervised". Danyel sees no problem with this. In contrast, I always feel guilty doing something else and making Carsten play alone. No matter how much I interact with him, I always feel athat I am not doing enough to stimulate his development.

A couple of nights ago I finally realized that Danyel is right... just this once :-). Yes, I said it - HE is RIGHT. Anyways, I came into the office and Carsten was happily playing on the floor by himself and Danyel was playing a computer game. I started to nag him about not interacting with Carsten and we argued about it for a few minutes and he makes a good point. You see, for the most part, Carsten is very independent. He can entertain himself for long periods of time, can put himself back to sleep when he wakes in the middle of a nap or in the night, and can sit in the carseat & stroller and occupy himself. Danyel believes that it is good to let Carsten play alone sometimes because it teaches him to be independent and helps develops his imagination. Now that I think about it, in spite of me, Carsten has learned these skills. This is something his father has taught him. Good job "Da-da".

My Husband... The Enviornmentalist

Anyone who knows Danyel, knows that he has a new interest every week. He's a wine maker, yogurt maker, gardener, beer maker, amateur chef, money maker, money saver, coupon clipper, computer game player, music maker, and most recently - an enviornmentalist. Yes, but do not misunderstand me. He is not an enviornmentalist for the sake of the enviornment, but for the sake of his pocket book. This week he researched putting solar panels on our house for the sake of saving on electricity. He found out that they cost 90 thousand dollars. Scratch that idea. He also is obsessed with Bio Diesel fuel and Vegetable Oil Engines. He has been putting Bio Diesel in his diesel engine car for the last couple of months. He mostly does this because it saves money and he is doing his part to cut down on those damn oil company profits. An added benefit is, of course, it is better for the enviornment. He has also decided to put a vegetable oil engine in his car when his warranty runs out. This will cost 1 thousand dollars, but he can put used vegetable oil in it that he can get for free from local restaurants. Whatever.

Last night, as we walked back to our car from the Greek Festival, he said "I was reading today about this new engine invention..." I said "Please stop. I just can't take all this Bio Diesel/Veggie Engine crap anymore." He begged me to listen. I mean BEGGED. He was so EXCITED to tell me about it. Apparently, "They" have just figured out how to run a car on air. You just fill the tank with compressed air (like you do your tire) for like a buck and it will go for 200 miles. Great. Please make it stop. I can't bear it any longer.

The Helpful Husband

Sometimes I am too rough on my hubbie. Most of the time he doesn't deserve it. Let me just list off the things he has accomplished over the last 24 hours (not counting his going to work to provide for all of us).

1.) Unloaded and loaded the dishwasher
2.) Watered the lawn
3.) Cleaned out the refrigerator (there's been a horrible odor radiating from it all week)
4.) Woke up with Carsten at 6am this morning, gave him breakfast, and entertained him, all while letting me sleep in until 7:45am.

All of these things he did without being asked to and yet, I like the witch that I am, still had the nerve to tell him he needed to take out the trash & change the cat litter. Shame on me. But, that's not it... I even sunk so low as to criticize the way that he did some of the above tasks. The nerve! When he comes home for lunch today I will be sure and let him know how thankful I am for all that he has done... then, I'll remind him to take out the trash & change the cat litter. :-)

This is the Thanks I Get?

Last night while bathing Carsten, I was trying to teach him to call me "Ma-ma". He babbles it occasionally, but I am not sure if he knows that I am "Ma-ma". So, we practiced...

Me: Carsten, can you say "Ma-ma"? Say "Ma-ma".
Carsten: "Da-da"
Me: No, say "Ma-ma". "Ma-ma, Ma-ma, Ma-ma"
Carsten: "Da-da, Da-da, Da-da"
Me: "Ma-ma, Ma-ma, Ma-ma, Ma-ma, Ma-ma"
Carsten: "Da-da"

He knows "Da-da".

I carried this child for 9 months. I pushed this child into the world for 2 long painful hours. All "Da-da" did was contribute his DNA.

Patience is a Virtue

Recently I was given an ornament by a friend. The ornament is of a hand carved angel named "Angel of Patience". The inscription on the gift tag reads "Bringing a calm & unhurried spirit to watch over your busy world".

Consuquently, this is one of the main challenges I have faced as a new mom. Patience. A trait I have always been lacking of. For the most part, I think that I am a great mother. Dedicated. Loving. Affectionate. Caring. Patient - I am still working on. In addition, my son is very stubborn and strong willed (Huh... wonder where he gets this from?) Even at 8 1/2 months this is evident.

So, I hung the "Angel of Patience" on my armoire in the TV Room where I spend most of my day. It has become a daily reminder to stay calm & patient when my little angel shows his devilish side. Today as I tried to rock him to sleep for his nap, he cried... he squirmed to get away (did I mention how strong he is?)... and he pitched a good old fashioned fit. Ususally when this happens, I lose my cool. But, today was different. Through the struggle, I focused on my "Angel of Patience" and on staying calm. Eventually, Carsten drifted off to sleep and I was still as cool as a cucumber. Yep, I have to say, I am pretty proud of myself.

It's the Little Things in Life that Bring the Greatest Joys

Well, here I am... blogging. After all, what else do I have to do - being that I am a housewife and all. :-) And a happy one at that. Besides, everyone else is doing it, so I figured I should jump on the bandwagon.

In all seriousness, I have been trying to find a way over the past few months to remember all the precious fleeting moments in my son's life... in my life... in our life (referring to my husband and I's, of course). For example, I am constantly recording all of these milestones in Carsten's baby book... first bath... first tooth... But, there isn't a page for all of those heartwarming moments that you just don't want to forget. Those treasured bits in time that bring you so much joy that you think your heart will explode from all the happiness. So, this is the page. My blog.

Today. Carsten learned to crawl up the stairs. Just like that. He couldn't do it yesterday, but today he could. And you should of seen that proud grin on his face... that priceless toothey smile. Then, the obsession with doing it over and over again. Everyday is like that for him - full of unending excitement and an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. He truly is the smartest and most inquisitive baby I have ever seen. This kid doesn't miss a thing.

Then, there was our treasured bath time together... one of my most favorite times of the day. He loves chewing and sucking on his wet washcloth. Tonight as he frantically chewed and sucked away to help relieve some of his teething pain, he paused, looked at me, and put the washcloth up to my mouth as if to say "Here Mom, you got to taste this - it's yummy!" Of course, I obliged, and he smiled and chuckled. Then, because this was so much fun, he did it again... and again. Another one of those little things that I don't want to forget - my son sharing with his Mommy for the first time.

Of course, every day is full of those not so tender moments... like when Carsten woke me up at 5:45 this morning or when he projectile vomited all over me this evening before fighting me for an hour to put him to bed. These "challenges" are not all in vain, though. They are teaching me patience and restraint.

Today. A pretty good day. Carsten took 2 naps, ate pretty well, was not too fussy despite his teething, I got a shower, I did the laundry (o.k. - I washed it - folding will have to wait until tomorrow), and my husband told me I looked beautiful this evening (though I think he had alterior motives with this comment). What more could a housewife ask for? Well, besides a day at the spa... :-)